You
by PermanentlyFrozen
Summary: Katara loves Christmas. She gets a really good gift, but you know, it's always best to receive than give. Everyone's together, and it couldn't get better. Or could it? But will someone try to destroy everything she's ever hoped for? Zutara. HAITUS
1. You

_::~ HI! PermanentlyFrozen here. So after reading so many awesome A:TLA Zutara stories, I decided to make my own! I swore not to, but still, here I am. This is Zutara, so all Kataangers beware, but if you still want to read this story for fun, then go ahead! You have been warned. By the way, in this story, time as fast forwarded to 6 years, so Katara's 22, Zuko's 25, Aang's 20, Toph's 20, Sokka's 23. It's a one-shot, and very fluffaaay!_

::~ ATLA Is not owned by PermanentlyFrozen. This goes for the entire story.

::~

Christmas. It was the holiday that no matter what age you were, you felt the Christmas cheer. Katara was no exception. She loved Christmas. It was her favorite holiday, because she remembered when her mother and her would decorate the tent with decorations, and it wasn't much, but it brought her family together. Ever since then, Christmas was a big thing for her, because it reminded her of that little piece of her that was her mother. She was in her favorite blue swearter, with black jeans and white boots. She was on a ladder, struggling to put the star on the 9 foot tall Christmas tree Sokka had cut down a week ago. She was a bit unstable, because she was on her tip toes, but she was sure she could handle it. " Just, a bit more!" She stretched, one foor on the ladder.

Sokka walked in just then, and saw his sister. Zuko walked in from the opposite hall, and saw what happened just as Sokka did. " KATARA!" Sokka yelled. " WHAT?" She yelled, just as she lunged, trying to get the star on. She toppled, falling backwards.

Time seemed to stop.

Katara fell, so shocked she was unable to scream.

Zuko ran.

He caught her just before she reached the ground, and she gasped, surprised she was still alive. Sokka ran towards them, a horrified expression on his face. Zuko was poised above her, his eyes scanning her for any injuries. " Katara, are you okay?" he asked. She knew what she needed to say, but she was out of air. Finally, after a few minutes, she recovered enough to say the three simple words. " Get off me." She said, in a low voice. A ghost of a smile flashed through his expression. but then it was gone so fast, that if you blinked, you missed it. Zuko rolled aside as Sokka extended a hand to help her up. As soon as she was on her feet, he started chastising her. " What the hell were you thinking, doing something so stupid? You knew it was dangerous!" Zuko sighed as he dusted himself. " Sokka, give her a rest, she just fell for the love of god." Sokka made a face at him, but left Katara alone. She bended water from the sink, and drank it.

Toph and Aang came down from the villa's roof, and simply stared at everyone. Toph was the one who spoke. " What happened?" Aang was clearly worried for Katara, but he knew better, and stayed silent.

She was finally well enough to yell at Sokka properly. But just then, she saw the Christmas tree topple, and it fell over, right on to the desserts table that she took hours baking.

Her mouth formed a perfect " O". Zuko looked at the tree, then back at her. Sokka feared for his life. Katara stood, refusing to show any expression. She simply stood, watched the disaster for a second, and simply went down the hall, into her room. Zuko looked at Sokka for an explanation. Sokka's voice was grave. " She loves Christmas. It was the one holiday that our entire family was together, and it means alot." Sokka solemnly went down the hall, to try and comfort his sister.

::~

" Are you thinking what my feet think you're thinking Sparky?" Toph said, amusement in her voice. " What, What it Zuko thinking?" Aang asked, completely clueless. Zuko sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. " Shaddup Toph, and start earth bending."

' I can't believe it! All that hard work, for nothing! Mom would be so disappointed..." At that thought, she sobered, and sat down on her bed. " No she wouldn't Katara, you know that. She'd be proud that you tried so hard. Look at this! Your room is decked out! Heck, the house is decked out! It's put everyone in a good mood, and it's just because of you!" Katara wiped away some reluctant tears. " You always know what to say to make me feel better." Sokka smiled and hugged her. " Even though your stupidity could cost me my life sometimes." She added. Sokka ruffled her hair.

::~

Okay, Okay. He thought. She's coming out of her room now, I hope she doesn't kill me. Katara walked out, and saw the tree in the same condition it had been in when she first decorated it: Perfect. The lights were brighter, and the decorations were repaired. " What- What is this?" She asked, looking at Toph, Aang, and Zuko. " Did you guys do this? But I was just-" Toph held out a hand. " It was all Zuko's idea. I earth-bended the tree back up, Aang put the decorations up by air-bending, and Zuko used firebending to repair the broken bulbs, and light them up." Zuko stepped forward. " We left the star to you, however." He held it out. She slowly took it, but not without smiling. Her smile made him smile as well. She walked up to the tree, and with the help of the ladder, she put it on. It was only after she was safely back on the ground that Zuko let out the air that he didn't know he was holding. They all gathered around the tree, singing everyone's favorite Christmas song, Deck the Halls.

::~

Hours later, everyone arrived. Ty Lee came with a santa hat for everyone, and with tons of presents. Mai arrived, and didn't say a word to anyone, but " Where are my presents. I hate you Zuko." and everyone knew things were going to be okay. Suki arrived, and Sokka hasn't been further than a centimeter from her. Zuko was busy trying to avoid hugs, but he wasn't doing so well. Katara had a large grin, and was being the perfect host, albeit a bit bossy. " Zuko, quit running from Ty lee and help me with the sweets, they're done!" Katara said. Zuko readily helped, noticing the way she leaned down to get the muffins from the oven. Snapping out of his reverie, he grabbed the muffin tray without gloves and set them on the table.

" Well, nephew, it looks like Miss Katara has taught you well." Zuko spun around quickly, a rush of happiness overwhelming him." Uncle!" Zuko hugged his uncle, not thinking about he tried to run away from hugs that came from everyone else. Iroh cackled, when he saw Katara smiling happily behind Zuko. Iroh stopped hugging his uncle and hugged Katara. " Iroh." She said, wistful. Iroh laughed. " How many times do I have to tell you, it's Uncle?" Katara laughed. Iroh moved aside, to reveal a flabbergasted Zuko being sqeezed by her grandmother. " Gran-Gran!" Katara joined in the hug.

" No way, Gran-Gran and Iroh are here!" Sokka yelled. There was an immediate rush of noise and pushing. Katara had somehow escaped from the huddled mass of arms and legs and sat a bit far off, watching the scene. _This is my family._ She thought. " Katara."

She froze.

Only one person had that voice.

She slowly turned around.

She hasn't seen him in a year.

" DAD!" She screamed. Hakoda had snuck in from the back door to surprise everyone. Sokka somehow pulled away and joined the hug that Katara was already giving her dad. " We missed you!" They both said. " I've missed you two. Look at how much you've grown!" He said. Sokka rolled his eyes, but didn't pull away from the hug. " Here it comes." he said. Katara chuckled and lightly hit her brother on the arm. " Shut up." They continued to hug. After a few minutes, Hakoda spoke again. " I wouldn't be here if it weren't for Zuko." Katara pulled away. " What?" Hakoda nodded. " He paid the necessary arragements from me to come here from the Arctic Cirlce. I never would have made it here." Sokka had no problem with that. Katara, however, did. " Why would he do that?" She asked, a hint of annoyance in her voice. " Who cares, 'Tara? Dad's here, and that's all that matters, right?" Katara nodded.

::~

" I just can't believe it Uncle. It happened in a matter of two days." said Zuko. Iroh " It happens. Didn't I tell you long ago?" Zuko nodded in agreement. " You did, Uncle. You did. I knew it happened, because it happened with Mother, and Father, no matter how briefly. But I thought, I would never fall in love. I never saw it coming." Iroh laughed. " One never does."

" Iroh?" Katara said, from the balcony door behind them. Zuko stood erect, and spun around to face her quickly, with a worried expression. " Katara? How much did you hear?" he said. Katara raised an eyebrow. She had only come a few seconds ago. " Not much. Uncle Iroh, can I talk to Zuko alone for a moment?" Zuko looked at his uncle indecisively. Iroh nodded, and walked out of the balcony. On his way out, he held Katara's hand, squeezed it, and gently let go. Katara walked towards Zuko, who was still watching every moved she made with his amber eyes. " Um... Did you like your present?" He asked. " The one under the tree or my Father?" She asked sarcastically. Zuko swallowed deeply. " Both?" Katara rolled her eyes. " Why did you do it?" She asked. Zuko sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. " I thought it would make you happy." " Oh, it did." Katara said. " Then why do you have a problem with it?" He asked. He was getting annoyed. Can't she be happy for once without looking for a hidden meaning in everything? " It's because you did it!" She said. She could sense that he was getting angry and there was no way his anger was going to go unmatched. " Your telling me that if Aang brought your father over from the Arctic Circle you wouldn't have a problem with it, but because it was me something's wrong?" Katara shook her head, and stood beside him, overlooking the Sea and the forest below them. " No, that's not what I'm saying." She said. " Then what?" He asked. It was Katara's turn to sigh. " I didn't get you anything good for Christmas."

Zuko stared at her for a few seconds. Then, he simply laughed, and took her into his arms with a big hug. " I know what you can give me." He said huskily. " What?" She asked, wondering if she'd ever know how his mind worked.

" You."

::~

_Super fluffy, but I just had to get it out there. :D NO FLAMES._


	2. Presents

::~ _So by the attention this story is getting, I've decided to continue it! Please give as much feedback as you can, I'd love to see how I could improve. Please notice that in this story, Aang doesn't have strong feelings for Katara, it gets a whole lot of complications out of the way :D. Rating Upped, just in case! It is now T, for _**Teen**.

::~

Katara was lost for words. " Me? You want me? But what can I give to you?" She asked. She noticed that Zuko's hold on her had gotten tighter. He chuckled lightly. " 'Tara." was all he said. They heard footsteps behind them, so they broke away from their hold. Sokka re-appeared a few moments later. " Katara, everyone's ready to eat. Let's- Oh. Your with Zuko?" he said, confused. Katara closed her eyes and waited. She expected Sokka to start yelling at her at any moment. But he never did. When she opened her eyes again a minute later, Sokka was still staring at her, not a trace of anger on his features. " You coming?" he asked. Zuko answered for her. " We'll be there in a bit." Sokka nodded, and left. Katara spun around to face him, and he could tell she was confused. " What's that about?" she asked. Zuko shrugged. " My brother doesn't let anyone who is his same gender get near me." She said. Once again, he was reduced to shrugging. " I guess he trusts me. Let's go, I'm hungry."

They both walked out, and went to enjoy the party. Soon, due to Sokka's impatience, they all sat around the tree, to open their presents. " I'll go first." said Aang, as he reached underneath the tree. He gently took out a large package, wrapped perfectly in a dark jade silk wrapping paper, with a light emerald bow on top of it. " Here." he said, handing it to Toph. She started to shake it, but Aang quickly held both her hands in place to stop her from doing so. " No, open it gently." Toph made a face but did as she was told. After opening the box, she waited for someone to tell her what it was. She didn't hear a thing. " Well, what's the matter?" she asked, impatient. Katara started to speak. " Toph, its another box." She said, as she looked at Aang. Toph sighed and opened that box as well. " Now?" she asked, a hint of hopefulness in her voice. Katara shook her head and then realized that Toph couldn't see her. " It's another box." Toph unwrapped that one. " Well, what is it now?" she asked. Katara started giggling. " It's another box, Toph." Zuko said. Toph gave an annoyed look in Aang's general direction, and opened that box as well. She had to continue opening several boxes, and everyone noticed that each box was getting a shade lighter, until it was extremely pale green. Aang was starting to smile. Toph, however, looked the opposite. " What the heck Twinkle Toes? Where's my gift!" She asked, in an irritated tone.

Aang smiled at her. " Open the next one, Toph." She did, and everyone gasped. Aang beamed. " What is it?" Toph asked. She started to feel it, and frowned. " It's another box, isn't it?" she said, sounding dissapointed. Sokka, from the opposite side of the room, spoke from his place next to Suki. " This one's different Toph. It's entirely made out of emerald. There's an Earth symbol, and an Air symbol." Toph looked over at Aang's direction. " Aang?" she asked. " It's a memory box. And I'm going to require the next 50 years of your life to help me fill it." Toph smiled, raising an eyebrow. " Only the next fifty?" she asked. Aang beamed, holding her hand. " We'll negotiate after that." Everyone clapped as Toph hugged him. Aang just looked like he had one a million dollars.

" My turn, My turn!" Sokka said, bouncing up happily. He ran and got his present, and quickly handed one to Katara, and then one to Suki. " Open it, Open it!" he yelled. Suki laughed and opened hers first. She gasped when she saw what was inside. " No way!" It was a brand new pair of gilded fans, with green embroidery and a sharp golden edge. Suki hugged Sokka with all her might. " Thank you, I love it! And I love you." She said. Everyone smiled at them, even Zuko. _I wonder..._ he thought, looking at Katara, who was patiently waiting to open her present. Thankfully, her brother noticed as well. " Open it, sis." Sokka said. Katara slowly opened it, and nearly fainted. ( And it took a lot to make Katara faint,) thought Zuko. It was a vial, but it was much larger, and looked like an exact replica of the one she had from the Spirit Oasis from the North Pole, that she showed him in Ba Sing Se, Zuko noted. However, this vial looked like it was sealed by the moon itself, and the glass was crystal clear. The top shone brightly, and instead of being a crescent moon, it was a full moon. Katara loved it. " I can't believe-" Sokka interrupted. " It took a while to get it, but it was worth it." Katara stood, and hugged her brother tightly. " Thanks Sokka, you're the best." She whispered. He laughed. " I know."

Everyone took their presents out from the tree. Iroh received a new tea maker from Zuko, that made tea ten times faster. Let's just say the old man seemed very pleased. Gran-Gran got a new parka, that had pockets, to keep on as many herbs as she wanted. Zuko got a new Christmas sweater from Ty Lee, which he added to his collection of Clothes He Was Never Going To Wear. Ty Lee got a book on how to block chi effectively, and Mai got a new set of daggers, (Courtesy of Ty Lee) that everyone eyed nervously. After making sure that everyone got their presents, Katara took hers, and it was a single box. She opened it, and nearly shot out of the room like a ballistic missle. It was a bracelet, that looked exactly like her mom's betrothal necklace. The silk was softer, and the pendant didn't look worn. No one seemed to notice, because they were busy with their own presents, and Katara was grateful for that. She flipped the delicate pendant over, and read the inscription.

" To Katara, From Zuko, with love." She read. her heart seemed to stop beating. _With Love? _That phrase seemed to stay etched into her mind. Surely he didn't mean...? She thought. However, there was no time to fuss over it, because there was a big mess of wrapping paper everywhere. As she started to clean and throw them away in the kitchen, she felt that she was being followed. Sure enough, she turned around, and the object of her growing affections was there. " Hi." was all he said. She saw that his eyes dropped, to look at the bracelet she now had on. " Do you like your present?" Zuko asked. She swallowed nervously and nodded yes. He seemed relieved. " Good."

Katara pointed at the sweater that he now wore, because she had forced him into it, in order to save Ty Lee's feelings. " Don't even mention it." he said, in a playful growl. Katara burst out laughing. It was funny to see Zuko, a man who was 2 tons of muscle, wearing a santa sweater. Not that the sweater made him look any less fit, but it still made her laugh. Zuko rolled his eyes. He could never really be annoyed at her. he was only really good at pretending he was. " Quit laughing, you look like a snowflake." He inwardly smacked himself. Being near her did that to him. All of the sudden, he had really lame comebacks, and was only able to think about how well her jeans fit her curves. Katara raised an eyebrow. " Really? Is that the best you can do?" she said, goading him. He sighed, running his fingers through his shaggy hair, as he followed her around the kitchen as she started to clean up. " Your not going to say anything about the bracelet?" he asked. Katara quickened her pace around the kitchen." Say what?" She said, as she held out a fork to him. " Fork?" He looked at her with a questioning expression.

" No, " Tara-" he took it from her, and immediately she started power walking around the kitchen. He set the fork down and continued to follow her. " Katara, It means something." She turned around, offering him a muffin. " Means what?" She said, once he took it out of her hands and she started walking quickly again. " Something about me. You can't really be this-" " Ice Tea?" she said, extending a cup towards him." He took it, and set it down. " No, I don't want any iced tea, Katara. I want you to listen to me." However, Katara was already walking around the kitchen, and he was still following her.

" Did you read the inscription?" he asked, as he saw her walking around, still fixing things. " Cake?" she offered, avoiding his question. " No, Katara. I don't want cake, I want you to answer my questions!" he said, as he took the cake but set it down elsewhere as he followed her. " I am answering." she said, as she held out another object to him and he grabbed and put it down. " No your not, your avoiding me!" She walked quicker, and he was still behind her. " That's preposterous." She said. He decided to try and test if she was listening. " I'm broke."

" Plate?"

" No. I've got a week to live."

" Cookie?"

" No. I'm a woman."

" Chair?"

" No, no chair. I'm dying my hair blonde."

" Wall?"

" No. I don't want the wall. I'm pregnant."

" Desk?" She squeaked.

" NO. I've got tuberculosis."

" Shoe?"

" No. Katara, I'm living out on the street."

" Cookie?"

" You offered that to me already, and no. I'm breaking into jail."

" Water?"

He grabbed both her wrists and pinned her to the wall, but not roughly, she noticed. " Why are you doing this?" he asked, his head leaning on her shoulder. She breathed quickly. " Zuko, I-" she started, but then noticed that Zuko was giggling. it surprised her. He was giggling like a little five year old! It was music to her ears. She smiled. He lifted his head from her shoulders and stared at her, gazing deep into her cerulean eyes. " Katara, I love you." Katara gasped. Now she definetly wasn't expecting to hear _that._ She looked at him, confused.

" Me?"

Zuko chuckled. " You."

Katara realized what it was she felt for him. " I love you too." She said, in a soft whisper. Zuko raised an eyebrow. " Me?" he said, in his deep, rich voice. Katara nodded.

" You."

_::~ So tell me if you want another chapter in a REVIEW. Was this flufaaay enough? Please review with feedback!_

"


	3. Blush

::~ _Here's your next chapter! Please forgive me if it's a bit short! Hey guys, ya wanna know what I was listening to when I was writing this? An awesome zutara video on youtube by luvlichrissi. I don't know who she is, but I love the song, as well as the video :)_

_::~_

Katara's stomach still fluttered when she thought of when Zuko had finally declared his love for her. It was so unexpected, but she liked it. And she _loved_ him! It was funny that christmas was all it took for her to realize that all of those strange moments when they would brush shoulders, or just talk really quietly when she couldn't sleep, and she felt her heart soar really indicated that she was in love. She was falling too hard and too fast, but she consoled herself by thinking that this was Zuko, and they had known each other for over 6 years. It made her oddly happy the next day when she saw that Zuko had stayed over and was draped over the couch, with tousled black hair and sleepy eyes. Iroh had stayed as well, and was already in the kitchen making tea with his present when she had gotten downstairs, in her dark blue pajama pants and light blue tank top. " Good morning." Iroh said, for himself and Zuko, who was just getting up. " It's the crack of dawn Katara, what are you doing up?" Zuko asked, when he saw her sitting in front of her cup of freshly brewed tea. Katara turned around to snap at him but had to avert her eyes, because he clearly wasn't wearing a shirt. Not that he noticed, or maybe he did, but didn't care.

It took all of Katara's willpower to not stare hungrily at Zuko's defined and chiseld muscles. He looked like he could have been carved out of stone, but he was very much alive. Iroh noticed that she was blushing. " Something the matter, Katara?" he asked. Zuko sighed. " I bet she's tired. You should go back to sleep 'Tara." Katara shook her head, but still didn't look at him. Zuko wasn't going to force her, so he let her be, and took his cup of tea. Katara had gotten used to waking up early, and she didn't see that routine changing anytime soon. She was used to waking up, and seeing Zuko up and about as she did her work. It came in order: Zuko, Iroh, Katara, Suki, Aang,Toph, Sokka. Sokka slept until noon, but Toph used to sleep later. Now that she had become really close to Aang, she woke up a bit earlier. Katara loved the time she had in the morning, because she was in peace, and didn't have to practically raise anyone.

" Are you sure you're not tired?" Zuko said, searching her face for even the slightest trace of fatigue. If he found one, she knew he would send her straight to bed, no arguements. Katara sighed. " I'm fine Zuko, your smothering me." she said, jokingly. Iroh laughed, but Zuko just turned the comment to his advantage. " I just really care about you, that's all," saying it in a way he knew was going to make her blush even more than she was already. It worked. Both Iroh and Zuko laughed at her reaction as she tried desperately to hide it. She stood quickly and ran up the stairs. She entered her room, and decided what to wear for the day. She was going to get revenge on Zuko for making her blush horribly in front of his uncle, and she knew just the way how.

::~ 

" Unlce, it's driving me nuts. It's been years, and I've only now summed up enough courage to tell her. What if she finds out I'm not wor-" Zuko's jaw dropped. Iroh turned around to see what he was staring at, and he smiled. It was Katara. She was wearing a one-shoulder dress, that accentuated her curves perfectly. It was a deep red wine color, and it complimented her skin perfectly. " She was born to wear red." Commented Iroh in Zuko's ear, dropping a hint. Zuko simply nodded, and continued to stare at her as she made her way down that stairs. Katara smiled smugly. She knew the effect she was having on him. " Ready to go?" she asked, as she swept her brown locks over her shoulder, making him drool. " Um, go where?" he asked, finally able to form a coherent sentence. " You said you loved me right? Prove it." He nodded and nearly flew to him guest room in order to get dressed. He was down in a matter of minutes. Katara smiled as she saw that he wore a red shirt as well. Taking her hand, he led her outside, to nowhere, but somewhere.

" Hey where's Katara?" Sokka asked, when he didn't smell food cooking. Toph answered for him. " Out. With Zuko." " Oh." Sokka responded, as he went over to kiss Suki quickly on the cheek. He then noticed everyone staring at him. " What? Do I have Momo on my face?" Sokka asked. Aang spoke for the rest of them. " You're not upset?" he asked, thinking that Sokka had gone crazy.

" Nope, I saw it coming." Was all Sokka responded. Everyone sighed in relief, Iroh especially. " Now nothing's stopping me from getting my grandbabies!" Iroh said happily. This struck a cord. " NO WAY. NO GRANDBABIES. IM NOT READY TO BECOME AN UNCLE!" Sokka yelled. Suki and everyone else laughed. " But your more than ready to make Katara an aunt aren't you?" Toph said. This caused both Sokka and Sukki to blush. Aang laughed. " Oh, don't act all superior Aang, because you were ready to make yourself a father last night!" Toph snapped at him. This caused him to blush, even worse that Sokka and Suki.

::~

_More is on the way, sorry this one is so short! please review with feedback!_


	4. Nowhere Near

::~ _Here's your next chapter! Don't forget to review! I didn't have a plot before, but I'm starting to get one! So mom and me wake up at 5:00 to start our last day of 2010. It is from my kitchen that I bring you the next chapter!_

::~

Katara laughed. Zuko was in the middle of the circle of bystanders, trying to dance with the little kids that had taken a fancy to him. At first he absolutely refused to dance with them, but after receiving a few pleading looks from them, as well as from Katara, he agreed. He knew he was going to look like a fool, but as long as it was for Katara, he didn't care. She really didn't think he was acting like a fool, because he really could dance. He just chose not to most of the time. Katara saw a familiar face in the crowd, and stopped breathing. He was here. _Here._ He was eyeing Zuko with obvious hate. Katara ran over to Zuko. " Come on." she said, as she pulled him away from the crowd and the obviously dissapointed kids. " What's the matter?" he asked her, as he allowed her to pull him. " Not now." she said, worriedly.

Zuko looked around, to try and see what had frightened her, but found no one. " 'Tara, what's wrong?" he asked again, when they were a far enough distance from the people. Katara's large blue eyes had never seemed for upset. He held her cheeks in his hands and made her face him. " What. Happened." he said, in a grave tone. Katara tried to pry herself out of his grasp, but he held on to her fast.

" Jet. He's here, somewhere. We have to get away, he'll come after-" She stopped speaking, when she saw Zuko's mouth harden to a grim line. " Where is he?" he asked. Katara shook her head and tried to pull him away from the direction they had just come from. " No! You can't, please!" he seemed to ignore her, and kept searching the distant crowd. He saw a guy with a fuzzy head of hair. " Hey you!" he yelled, as he ran over to the guy, jerking him around.

" Zuko!" he heard Katara yell from behind him. He turned the guy around, but saw that it wasn't him.

" Hey man!" said the guy in protest, but when he saw Zuko's murderous gaze, he stopped speaking. Katara was immediately beside him, making apologies to the slightly frightened guy.

"I'm sorry, please forgive us, he thought you were someone else." she said, as she pried Zuko's fingers away from the guy's shirt collar.

" Are you out of your mind?" she hissed when she pulled him away. He refused to look at her, because he knew he would melt. Katara looked around, and then simply sighed. " Zuko, let's just go home." She said, defeated. She didn't know if it was a hallucination or not, but seeing Jet ruined everything. She couldn't help feeling guilty for not being able to help him, but she also couldn't help feeling angry, for the way he acted. Zuko looked at her from underneath a sweep of lashes, and took her hand, leading her home.

::~ 

" I SAID NO GRANDBABIES!" Sokka yelled from underneath the table. Things were flying across the room, mainly on fire. Suki was next to him, crouched near the table, and was deflecting all the objects that were being thrown in his direction. Everyone thought that Iroh was a sweet, good-tempered old man, but when you say he can't have any grand-babies, as Sokka just did, well, then all hell broke loose. Iroh was crounched near an upturned couch, throwing anything he could get his hands on, or set on fire. Toph laughed merrily from her spot at the side of the room, as she felt with her feet what was going on, as well as giving Iroh coordinates to where Sokka was located on the floor.

" A little bit to the left!" she yelled, and Iroh obeyed. A fork was nearly impaled on Sokka's arm.

" OW! Hey, watch it Toph!" Sokka growled. He heard Toph giggle. Iroh was screaming his head off, mainly a mess of jumbled words that nobody could understand. He was mainly screaming " My grandbabies! Mine, mine!" all the time. Aang was helplessly watching the scene, unable to stop it. A peacemaker as he was, he had tried to stop the commotion before it got out of hand, but he almost nearly lost his thumb. So he gave up, and just watched.

This was the scene Zuko and Katara encountered when they arrived him. They were both open-mouthed. " What in the world is going on?" Zuko bellowed, calming everyone down. Sokka saw that his sister was there and ran over to her in safety, hugging her tightly.

" Oh, thank Tui and La that you've come! Iroh was gonna _kill _me!" Sokka yelled, making crazy hand movements to indicate that he was stressed out.

" Uncle? Explain." Zuko demanded. For once, Iroh looked sheepish. " Well you see, he said I can't have my grandbabies, and then-"

"WHAT?" Zuko and Katara screamed in unison. Zuko gave his uncle a death glare and Katara blushed. She went around, bending water to put out the small fires Iroh's flaming items had started. " Uncle, how many times do we have to go through this?" Zuko said, standing in front of his uncle. " I told you I don't want to have kids!" he yelled. Katara looked over from her spot in the living room, looking alarmed.

" You don't?" she asked. Zuko seemed to sorta kinda blush at her question. He ran his fingers through his hair, a habit Katara knew he did when he was nervous.

" No, that's not what I mean. I _do_ want to have kids, just not right now- because um, Well I-" he stuttered. Katara nodded, getting his meaning. Sokka was still cowering in a corner. Toph whined, saying that they just ruined all the fun, and Aang looked immensely relieved that the fighting was over. Iroh started to argue that he wasn't getting any younger and that he would like to see Zuko's children before he kicked the bucket, since Azula didn't look like she was going to pop one anytime soon. ( She was still in the asylum.) But all that did was to set Zuko off again, ranting about how he never got peace around here anymore.

::~

Hours later, when everyone's nerves were calmed and there was no more screaming, they all went out into the courtyard, to enjoy the breeze. Katara had changed into blue jeans and a blue shirt, and some comfortable sneakers. She was laying down on the grass, and had the perfect view of Zuko reclining against a tree, while keeping an eye on everyone else to make sure no more arguments started. They were all enjoying some jasmin tea ( Iroh's favorite, Katara had to agree) and just making idle chit-chat.

Katara saw movement near one of the trees in the far distance. She blinked a couple of times, to make sure that the shadow she saw wasn't a figment of her imagination. It wasn't. She saw a pair of eyes, just before the shadow vanished.

So she wasn't going crazy. Jet was back. But she would make sure he got nowhere near the family it took her so long to build.

Nowhere near.


	5. Say Goodbye

::~ _Sorry I haven't updated in a while! here's your next chapter! XD_

::~

" Ugh. I'm so tired." Said Katara, a week later, when she threw herself on her bed. It was a large canopy bed, with cerulean sheets. Her pillows white, and extrememely comfortable, she noted. She was pooped. She finally finished packing Sokka's things, so he could go back to Kyoshi Island with Suki. She was going to miss her brother. He was always there when he needed her, in a heartbeat, without a second thought. Sure they bickered, but who doesn't? It was their way of showing affection. Sokka was unreliable, forgetful, annoying at times, really bad at jokes, and she was sure alot more things, but he was the best brother she could ever ask for.

" Sugarqueen?" Toph asked, from outside her bedroom door. Katara bolted up straight. Something was wrong. Toph never asked to enter someone's room. She just burst through the door, because after all, he was Toph. Katara got up quickly from her bed and crossed the room to open the door.

" What's the matter, Toph?" Katara asked, letting her in. " Why would you think something's the matter?" Toph said, defensively. She walked in and plopped herself on the floor. Katara sighed, and closed the door, sitting beside her.

" I know you Toph."

" Nothing's wrong" Toph insisted. Katara smiled.

" I can tell your lying." Katara said, in the same sing-song voice Toph used when she wanted to tease someone,( aka Zuko). Toph made a face at her remark, realizing she was found out. Toph shrugged, but didn't look nonchalant. " I just felt something, a week ago. When we were at the courtyard... Someone else's heart beat was there." Katara jumped up. " Suki's pregnant?" Katara said, yelling out the first thing that popped out of her head. Toph forced her to sit back down, shushing her.

" No stupid! It wasn't _inside _someone, It was someone else!" Toph hissed. Katara sighed in relief. " Okay, so who do you think it was?" Katara asked, already fearing Toph's answer.

" He wasn't- He didn't have good intentions." Toph said, resignedly. Katara's heart jumped up and became lodged in her throat. " Jet." She whispered, realizing the danger they were in. Katara jumped up, pulling Toph up too. " Wait, wait! Where are we going?" Toph said, when Katara was all of the sudden pulling her down the hall.

" We have to tell Zuko!" Katara answered, not looking back. She found him in the living room, hunched over papers he needed to sign, and his grandfather was in the kitchen, making tea.

" Uncle, how do you control the public when they don't want to respect their elders?" Zuko asked, frowning over a question that the Fire Sages gave him. It seemed like he was getting homework, instead of actual Fire Lord work.

" Filial Pity." Katara said, getting Zuko's attention. Once he saw the look on her face, he stood up quickly, dismissing his work as unimportant. " What's wrong?" he asked. Katara glanced at Iroh, not wanting to trouble the old man.

" Not here." She said, now pulling both Toph and Zuko outside. " Look, I've seen Jet twice already. I'm not going crazy if Toph's felt him too." Zuko;s expression immediately became angry. " Toph you've seen him and you didn't tell me?" Toph cringed at the force of his words.

" Zuko!" Katara snapped. Zuko stopped. " I'm sorry." he said, running his hand through his hair. " I'm sorry, Toph. I didn't mean to yell. I just really, really hate that guy." Toph nodded.

" Aw, I'm flattered Zuko. I'm flattered. Your all talking about me like I'm a celebrity." Jet said, meancingly walking over to them. Katara's eyes widened to the size of saucers. Zuko growled, getting into fighting position, as well as Toph.

Jet threw knives over Zuko and Toph's head, and with almost unhuman speed, he was already immediately beside them, a knife pointed at Katara's throat. " Say goodbye."


	6. Stop

::~ _Aw, I felt bad because you guys were freaking out, so I'm writing another chapter. What do you guys even like about this story? I have no idea what i'm doing XD._

_::~_

Katara struggled to breathe. Jet's grip was incredibly strong. She looked at Zuko and Toph's expressions, and they were horrified, watching them. " Well? Aren't you going to attack me and risk Katara's life?" Jet said, taunting the two benders. Zuko was irate, and he showed it. Fire burned from his shoulders, down to his finger tips. His golden eyes looked hard and hostile. Toph was in her earth-bending stance, and she looked like she was contemplating the most satisfactory way for her to kill Jet. Katara closed her eyes and whispered a small prayer.

Zuko took a tentative step forward, as Jet stepped back. " Not one step closer!" he yelled, pointing the knife a bit into Katara's neck. A small bead of blood began to form, trickling down her neck. She pursed her lips.

" Let her go, Jet! It's me you want!" Zuko yelled. She heard Jet chuckle.

" Wrong, again!" he said, mirth in his voice. " She will pay for the blood of all the people the Fire Nation have killed!" Jet yelled at both Toph and Zuko. Zuko's ears were spewing steam, literally. Zuko took another step forward.

" She's not even Fire Nation!" Toph yelled in protest. Jet held Katara tighter. " It's all the same... Katara betrayed me." he said, in a broken-hearted voice. It almost made Katara's heart break.

Almost.

Katara felt blood begin to seep through her shirt. Wait a minute, _blood. _Blood! What was in blood? She couldn't believe she hadn't thought of this sooner! Katara closed her eyes, fixing her expression to look like it was in pain. She was really concentrating as much as she could on everyone around her.

She felt Toph's pulse rate, the loudest. She felt the water in her blood flow, her heart beat signaling she was scared for the life of her friend. Katara knew Toph really was a sweetheart, at heart. She really was a good friend. Sturdy, and dependable, like a rock.

But that wasn't who Katara needed to concentrate on. She made her focus go somewhere else. Katara focused on Zuko. He was really much more different than Toph. His heart was racing. Far more faster than normal, and it showed how worried he was. Katara felt a flurry of emotions, coming from him. Worry, angst, anger, despair, and love, mainly. The water pulsing in his veins was barely there. Katara moved her attention to Jet.

She found Jet's heart, lastly. The water flowing in his veins was quick and erratic, like it didn't know where to go. Jet was confused. A part of him didn't want to hurt Katara, but an even larger part of him refused to show weakness, and despised anyone associated with the Fire Nation. Katara focused even harder on him. She felt the rhythm of his pulse, felt the rhythm of his heart beat, and became one with it.

She willed it to follow her. Extracted the water in his blood to bend to her will. She didn't want to do this. It pained her, went against everything she ever believed in, was ever taught, ever valued. She didn't want to become a monster, by taking advantage of blood bending. However, it needed to be done, for the sake of everyone. Katara vaguely remembered what her mother said to her, so many years ago.

_Go get your daddy sweetheart._

Katara hadn't been strong enough then. She wasn't able to protect her mother, or everything she loved. But she wouldn't make the same mistake again. She concentrated harder than she had ever concentrated before. She willed the blood to do her command.

_Stop._

Her command was. She felt it slowing, responding to her wishes. She felt Jet's heart pump alot quicker, trying to salvage the blood near it, but it was no use.

" How-" Jet said, as his grip loosened. Katara broke away from him, and turned around to face him, with hate, and most of all pity, in her eyes.

" Im stronger, Jet. I'm not the little girl you courted back then. Don't you ever, underestimate me." She said, using the last of her strength, to stop his blood flow completely.

She sobbed as Jet fell to the floor.

::~

Zuko ran to catch her, as Katara fell to the floor, completely wiped out. Toph earthbended, shaking the house to alert everyone inside. Zuko effortlessly carried a limp Katara inside the house, screaming for his uncle, who had gone upstairs. Aang and Iroh ran down the stairs, being the only two people left in the house. " God, what happened!" Aang said, seeing Katara.

" I'll expain later. Right now we need to heal her, some how." Zuko said, feeling lost.

How do you heal the only person who knows how to heal?


	7. Awake

::~_ Like what's been going on in the story so far?I really have no idea what I'm doing. But I guess I've been winging it all along, and that's what has been working out! _

::~

Zuko silently stared at Katara with pain in his eyes. She slept peacefully, except she had been sleeping for two whole days. She didn't move a single muscle since then. He knew she was alive, her labored breathing proved it, but she didn't wake. He was worried. It took alot more than simply bloodbending to make Katara this way. Something was up, and he had no way of figuring out what. A small, stubborn tear ran down his cheeks. " Katara, if you can hear me- I think you can- but that's not the point-" He stopped. He was rambling, he knew. He took a deep breath, to calm the turmoil he was feeling. " Don't leave. 'Tara, I need you. All my life I've been faced with people who never cared about me, and for a while, I thought that was all there was. My Father cared nothing for his son, and I have my scar to prove it. My Uncle has been more of a father than my own. He's the only person closest to me, but that's not enough." Zuko felt another stubborn tear roll down his scar. He wiped it away impatiently. " Katara, your the only person who knows how to push my buttons. Your a part of me, we both feel it. I can't lose you, not like I've lost everyone else. Please, wake up. Katara please."

_Katara please._

She heard it as a faint echo, as if it were a dream she couldn't remember. It was so far away, yet the voice made her feel like it was crucial for her to remember. She simply couldn't. She was sitting cross-legged, on a black floor. The walls around her were also black. There was a single blue orb of water, glowing in front of her. She was so mesmerized by it, she simply stared.

_Please wake up, I need you._

There it was again! That voice made her feel so pained. She willed it to go away, but it didn't leave. Wake up? Wasn't she already awake? Or wasn't she. She groaned, the first real sound that she made in the place where she now found herself. The sound resonated through the walls. On the wall opposite her, a piece fell away, and light entered. She raised an eyebrow. What was this?

_You made a sound! Katara, can you hear me?_

" Yes!" she said, to the voice. A larger part of the wall fell away, leaving more light. Katara scrambled to her feet. " I hear you! Who are you?" she said. She felt it against her heart. It was her. The other part of her. The yang to her ying. Zuko.

When she realized this, the entire room fell apart. The blue orb dissapeared.

::~

Zuko stared wide-eyed, when Katara groaned. She slowly, very slowly, opened her eyes.

Uncertainty flashed through her eyes. Then, a flash of recognition.

The last thing he saw in her eyes, was love.

::~

" Oh, I was so worried!" Toph said, when she saw Katara stumble into the living room, with Zuko trailing behind her. Toph gave her a a hug, and so did Aang.

" Careful, don't break her." Zuko teased. Katara still hadn't said a word. He took her hand, and let her to the couch. He sat opposite her, on the coffee table. " Can you remember what happened?" he asked, gently. Katara shook her head.

" There was a fight, and I was scared. I used alot of energy, and I passed out." She said. She received worried looks from Toph, Aang, and Iroh. Zuko looked freakishly calm. " What? What's wrong?" Katara asked. Aang sighed.

" While you were out, we've done some research. Jet isn't working alone. Katara, he did die." Aang said, somberly. Katara still didn't understand. Zuko held her soft, brown fingers in between his pale ones. She felt much more calm.

" I know he died. I killed him." she said, stating the obvious. Toph shook her head. Katara looked at Zuko, since she wasn't getting any answers. " What does he mean? I killed him right? I know I did. I'm not going crazy." she said, stubbornly.

" 'Tara. Jet died the day we first thought he was dead, so many years ago. He was resurected. And he's not the only one."

Katara fainted.

::~

An hour later, when she finally came to, she was chastised. " Jesus, woman! We think your half dead for two days and you think it's okay to just faint on us again? Do you know how worried I was? I was ready to earthbend Zuko all the way to Ba Sing Se for making you faint like that!" Toph said. Katara looked around, and saw that Zuko was scowling from his place near the counter in the kitchen. He had a few streaks of dirt and mud on his shirt, and Toph had a few charred marks on her shirt. No doubt they had just argued, because Aang didn't look happy. He most likely was feeling the failure of being a peace-maker and not being able to make peace with his friends.

" Sorry, I guess I'm still feeling a little weak." Katara said, sitting up. Instantly, Zuko's scowl vanished, to a look of concern. " For Agni's sake, Zuko. I'm fine. " Katara snapped, when she noticed. He scowled again, when he saw Katara stubbornly get up and walk proudly up to him, on shaky legs. " So how are we gonna get rid of whatever brought Jet back to life?" She said, the spark of adventure in her eyes. 

" We're going to King Kuei. _You _are going to stay here with Uncle, and recover."

Agni, if she didn't love him, she would have water-whipped him for what he just said. Maybe she still could.

" Are you out of your mind? I'm barely killed by a psycopath, and you expect me to stay here and do nothing?" Katara fumed, her eyes turning into crystal shards of ice. Zuko gazed at her with a cool, calm gaze.

" Naturally." he said, refusing to look away.

She froze the entire couch.

" MY COUCH!" Iroh yelled, nearly pulling out what was left of his thinning hair. He stared at the frozen piece of furniture with wide, bug eyes. His face was aghast. " I refuse to stay here! Who do you think you are, telling me what to do? You may be Fire Lord, mister, but you don't control ME!" Katara screamed. Zuko narrowed his eyes.

" I want you to be safe."

" Then let me go with you!" She snapped at him. Zuko sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. If he agreed, she might get hurt. If he said no again, he might lose a crucial organ for males.

" Fine." Katara whooped, and hugged him. But he wasn't done yet. He wasn't giving up without something benefitting him. " However, there is a condition." he said, as he pulled Katara away from him, so he could look at her.

" What's that?" she asked, wondering once again, if she was ever going to figure out how his mind worked. _Give it a few years._ She thought to herself. She was already planning ways to figure out what he thought. She barely missed what he said next.

Barely.

" If we come out alive, your marrying me."

::~

_A/N: Oh, I'm cruel, aren't I? You'll see what Katara thinks in the net chapter. Who knows when it'll be up? Have any comments? And recommendations for the story? Review, or Pm me! I'd really like to know!_


	8. Your Not Like Him

::~ _I know! I squealed when I read the last chapter too! XD_

_::~_

The next day, Katara was packed. She wore her Southern Water Tribe dress, that she found herself wearing all the time when she was on the run with Aang, Sokka, and Toph. Except, the person they were running from, is now her boyfriend. Katara thought about what he had said the day before. She quickly dismissed it from her mind. She grabbed her container, that held the water in it that she would use to bend. She packed lightly, already having experience from being onn the run all the time. She packed a change of clothes, and a nice dress, just in case. Of course, the essentials were there as well. Her door was burst open, and she knew it was Toph before she turned around. She had just finished packing, as Toph plopped herself on her bed. " Ready to help me pack, Sugarqueen?" Toph said, teasingly. Katara nodded, and strapped her bag on, following Toph out, and into her room.

" Oh, this is so pretty! Toph, you have to take this!" Katara said, as she pulled out a traditonal Earth Kingdom dress. Toph sighed. " I can't _see_!" she said, exasperated. Katara mumbled an apology, but kept looking at the dress lovingly. Toph would look beautiful in it. Maybe she could fix it up for her wedding, when she marries Aang? Toph needs someone to do that sort of thing for her. Katara sighed, as she put the dress away. She's fussing over her best friend's wedding, when she wasn't even proposed to yet! Katara was the one who should be fussing over her own wedding. Yet, she didn't give Zuko an answer. She didn't have an answer for herself, either. She sighed.

" What's with the sighing? I still need to pack Katara!" Toph reminded her. Soon enough, they were in an argument, because Toph didn't want to bring along shoes. They were being rather loud, so obviously someone must have heard.

" Everything alright in here?" Zuko asked, scanning the room for any broken objects. When he didn't see any, he was relieved to see that he arrived before things got bad. He noticed that Katara lowered her eyes, refusing to look at him.

" We're fine, Sparky."

" Sifu Hotman! Your room is on fire!" Aang yelled from somewhere in the house. All three occupants in Toph's room ran out. They ran down the hall, to where they saw the smoke coming out from Zuko's room. They all stared open mouthed at the intensity of the flames. Katara bended a huge glob of water into the room, putting everything out. After the sizzling stopped, Zuko ran into the room. He immediately went over to his desk, ransacking through the charred, wet papers.

"It's gone!" he yelled. Everyone stared at him in confusion.

" What's gone?" Aang asked. Zuko slammed his fist on the table, and it broke because of the force of the blow. " A form that I was filling out had to do with giving twenty-million dollars to it's receiver. Unfortunately, I didn't fill out who was going to get it yet."

" You mean someone just broke in and stole twenty-million dollars from the Fire Nation?" Katara shrieked, despite being embarrased. The person who broke in was obviously a fire bender, and they now had alot of power with all that money. They all looked at each other warily. They were in big trouble now.

::~

" I just sent word to King Kuei. He is expecting you all in a week." Iroh said, as he handed out cups of jasmine tea to everyone. They were all sitting around the living room, planning out their next action. Zuko was sitting in front of the fire place, poking the fire with a stick. He sat with his back to everyone. Katara noticed that he sat slumped. He must have been feeling terrible, for losing that amount of money. Katara got up from her place on the couch, and sat next to him, her arms holding her knees to her chest.

" Hey." She said, staring at the consuming flames. Zuko did nothing to acknowledge her presence. Katara simply stared at him, for a moment. " Tea?" she offered. She saw something flash through his eyes. The last time she had offered something to him, he had confessed his love for her. She sighed, and rested her chin on her knees. " Zuko, say something." She said, pleading.

He shook his head. She stared at the fire again. She took the poking stick from him, and he let her. With a few pokes, the fire became bigger. " It's not your fault." she said, softly. He turned to her.

" Yes it is, and you know it." His tone said that was the final word. Katara sighed. " Forget about it, Zuko. Now we need to concentrate on what is happening. Where is that boy who didn't let anything phase him? The one who would take what was thrown at him, and face it with courage? I want him to be sitting next to me." She said, mainly to herself.

" He is." he responded. He put an arm around her shoulders. " I'm just bummed, 'Tara. I thought everything was good again, that there was peace in the world." She squeezed him tighter. " There will never be peace in the world. There will always be that ego-centric bastard that wants more than his due." Katara said, with resentment.

" A few years ago, that bastard was my father." Zuko said somberly. Katara instantly looked up at him. " Is that it? You think one little mess up will mean your just like him?"

" What do you think it means? I don't want to end up like him!" Zuko said, raising his voice. Katara matched him. " What are you talking about?"

" The Fire Sages would think that I'm a huge screw up, and that I'm no better than my father. They would-"

" I don't care about what they would do! _Your_ the Fire Lord, Zuko! Not them!" she said, narrowing her eyes, with hands on her hips. Zuko sat back down, pensively thinking about what she said. " Your right." He said, after a few minutes. Katara's temper had simmered down, and she sat back next to him.

::~

A few days later, Katara was sitting on Appa, and Zuko was tossing the bags up to her. They were ready to leave, heading out to Ba Sing Se. Aang was petting Appa lovingly, and Toph was sitting nearby, petting Momo. Iroh kept barking orders to Zuko, about brewing tea correctly, and Zuko kept telling him to shut up, that if he made poisoned tea, it wasn't his fault. Katara laughed, and assured Iroh that if she thought Zuko's tea was poisonous, she would make the tea herself. That seemed to calm Iroh down, but Zuko was still grumbling.

Aah, the joys of travel.


	9. Annoying

::~_Enjoy!_

They were in the air. Katara felt exhilarated. She was once again on an adventure, once again traveling. She missed going rouge, she had to admit. It was six years of dressing fancy, going to important meetings around the world, as a Southern Water Tribe Princess. She still shuddered at the word. She remembered when Zuko had called her a peasant, so many years ago. He had no idea she was just as royal as he was. She looked at him, sitting next to her. He unconsciously had an arm around her shoulder, and was looking at the water below. She smiled. This man, wanted to marry her. She didn't have to give him an answer until they were done visiting King Kuei, she knew, but it still warmed her heart.

Suddenly, she gave him the most passionate kiss she could muster. He pulled her closer to him, deepening the kiss. She caressed his cheek, wondering at the feel of his smooth, warm skin. The pulled away for air.

" What was that for?" Zuko asked, smiling. Katara panted for air, smiling as well, a blush evident on her cheeks.

" Do I need a reason?"

" Never." Zuko said, pulling her in for another kiss.

" Ahem!" Aang said, from his seat near Appa's head. Katara and Zuko laughed, and cuddled.

::~

" We've come to land!" Aang said, pretending to be an announcer on an airplane. As soon as she heard the word 'land', Toph visibly perked up. " Land?" She said, delighted to be near her element again. She loved Appa, but flying for a long period of time got on her nerves. Aang wasn't able to stop her as she jumped off Appa, and landed on the sand. He followed her example, just as Zuko was helping Katara down. Katara swatted his hands away, snapping that she was able to handle herself.

Zuko smiled. It was just like her. At one moment, Katara was loving and giving, the next moment, she was snapping that she didn;t need his help. She was moody, like the ocean, and did as she pleased. She was rude, disobeyed his orders, ignored his threats, and ridiculed his commands. He couldn't be happier.

After a few minutes of walking, they were met by Earth Kingdom embassadors. " Hello. We are Huan Ho, and Chai Lin of the Earth Kingdom. We were ordered by King Kuei to escort you to the Earth Kingdom palace personally." They said. Zuko and Aang exchanged doubting glances. Aang shrugged, and followed the men. They were taken by carriage, straight to the palace doors. At once they were welcomed by a grand feast. Katara and Toph hung back, as Zuko and Aang were bombarded by important people they had to meet. Zuko and Aang were immediately taken to the dining room, where they would resolve matters over dinner.

The girls, not wanting to deal with annoying important officials, stealthily slunk away, out of sight.

" How about we go to a spa, and go shopping?" Katara offered. Toph looked hesistant. She didn't like spas. They were full of women with too much make-up, gossiping about their husbands as if people really cared. She shook her head.

" Why don't we go sight-seeing?" Toph said hopefully.

" Toph?"

" Yeah?"

" Your blind." Katara said, pointing out the obvious. They both found them selves in front of a theater. " Wanna go see a play?" Katara said. They've been to Fire Nation plays, but so far, they've never seen one at the Earth Kingdom. Maybe the actors were more- talented. Toph agreed and they paid the ticket man at the front. The play they were going to see, was named, " Ying and Yang: Still Alive"

::~

The girls are so lucky. So damn lucky. It's been two hours and these men are still debating on whether crab-shrimp is better than cat-shrimp. Does it really matter? Where's Katara? I need her next to me, or else I might burn the toupees these men have on. Actually, it doesn't seem like a bad idea. It'd be pretty frickin' funny. Where's Katara?

::~

Aang sighed. If he had hair, be would be pulling it out by now. He's the Avatar, and he has to be peaceful, but these men were pissing him off. He comforted himself by thinking that if Toph were next to him at that moment, she would probably want to do things alot worse to the men than he did. He smiled, and noticed Zuko did too. He was probably planning on the best way to murder these men without going to jail.

::~

" Katara, let's get out of here. The play hasn'teven started yet, and I'm already bored." Toph complained. Katara shushed her, eating more popcorn. " Give it a chance, Toph. It might be pretty great."

Toph rolled her eyes. Katara was always the person who looked at the bright side of things. It was annoying.


	10. Lead

::~ _Sorry I haven't updated in a while! I'll take my time on this one, and see if I can make it good! Don't forget to review, and tell me what you think!_

_::~_

Toph rolled her eyes, just as the emerald curtains rose. A girl, with black hair and vibrant green eyes stared back at them from the stage. She was clad in a long green dress, that was dark green, and had a lighter tunic over it, that was a lighter shade of green. A white sash tied it all together at her waist. The girl walked to the center of the stage. " Quaint. I've never been in this part of the city before. It's much more lavish than I am used to. The people here are rich, and very powerful. Trouble must not exist, in this part of town. But I don't know this place-" The girl was a good actress. She started to walk on the makeshift road in front of her. Once she started walking however, she was about to get run over by a carriage. Katara jumped, when she saw her just barely get out of the way. She waited in anticipation as she saw the carriage stop. A young, ( VERY handsome) man stepped out of the carriage, with an angry expression.

The girl was laying down on the ground, mezmerised by his looks. ( Katara was sure that was only partially acting) and she stood slowly as he walked closer. An older woman stepped out of the carriage, after him. " Don't you know how to watch where you're going?" the young man yelled at the girl. " What's your name? I want to know the idiot that jumped in the way." Said the man. Katara huffed. He sounded like a certain someone she knew.

" Daiya." said the girl, in a low voice. Her eyes were large, as she looked up at the guy towering above her. He was lean, but had a strong build, and looked like he was a warrior. " I'm sorry, I didn't see-" the girl started apologizing, but then the guy cut her off.

" You didn't _see?_ More like you didn't _think_!" he said, scoffing. The girl narrowed her eyes at him, getting annoyed. " Hey, I said I was sorry! So maybe you should get off your high horse and apologize too! After all, you almost KILLED me!" she yelled. The young man appeared taken aback at her comment.

_Stick it to the man! _Katara mentally said. She liked the girl already. Toph, who was beside her, mumbled, and asked when people were going to start hitting each other. Katara said that there most likely wouldn't be a fight.

" Well, I wouldn't have almost killed you if you had-" the young man started, but he found that the argument was stupid. The older woman put a comforting hand on his shoulder. She was wearing a pale silk green dress, with several jades around the bodice. " Come now, Edien. Apologize, and forgive." she said, in a soothing voice. The guys, Edien, relaxed visibly. Daiya dusted off her dress.

" I'm sorry." said Edien, refusing to look at Daiya. Daiya huffed in annoyance. The woman tried to smooth the situation over.

" Would you care to come with us, and have some scones?" asked the woman. Edien's head snapped at her.

" Why are you inviting her? Mother, we need to get going. We can't have a lower class-"

" LOWER CLASS?" sputtered Daiya. she stood erect, but her head only reached his shoulders. " I'll have you _know_, I may be lower class, but at least I have better manners than you do!" she said, her emerald eyes shimmering as if they were ice. Toph laughed.

" Hey, Sugarqueen, I bet a fight's gonna come, real soon. " she said. She couldn't see the actors, but by the tone of their voices, they must have been looking angry. She could sense that the guy was irritated, for real, maybe because the girl was acting like she was really telling him off. This play was just getting started, Toph assumed.

::~

" Ugh. Kill me _now._" Thought Zuko. The men were still chattering, and stuffing their faces. Zuko, being Fire Lord and all, ate very little, se he could look refined, but mainly because too much food would get in the way of training. Aang had finished eating too, but mainly because most of the food was meat and he was a strict vegetarian, so there was only a few things he was able to eat.

Zuko made a motion to leave the table, but he was pushed back into his chair by a blast of air. Ha scowled at Aang. King Kuei was even looking a little bit bored. Zuko hated this. He'd much rather walk around the city with Katara, enjoying the sites Ba Sing Se has to offer. The men started arguing, getting louder. Zuko was clutching the sides of his head now trying to control his temper.

" And I think that wood is much better than stone."

" Ridiculous! Everyone knows that-"

" SHUT UP!" Zuko bellowed. He pounded his fists on the table, standing up, looking very irate. " Shut up, all of you! Eat your damn food, and stop talking!" he screamed. Everyone looked at him with wide eyes.

" Now, Fire Lord Zuko, I don't think-" said a pudgy man, trying to calm him down. Too bad he didn't know that the only person that could,truly calm him down was Katara.

" You got somethin' to say, Blabbermouth? I don't care what you all think, I'm done with this." Zuko said, getting up and stomping off. Aang followed him.

::~

Daiya was eating quietly, sitting opposite Edien in the play. Every once in a while, Edien would gaze at her, and she would catch him. Katara smiled.

BOOM!

A loud crash was heard at the side of the stage. At first Katara thought it was part of the play, but then people started screaming. People were running to the doors, when they were all of the sudden bolted shut. Katara and Toph hid, to see who was causing this. A man who looked slightly familiar stood at the front of the stage. " Any one who moves will get burned alive!" he yelled. "From now on, no one will leave. You will all comply, or lose your heads." he said sneering. Katara gasped. Zhao turned towards her. " Well, well. What do we have here? This is a grand prize indeed." Zhao said, smirking evilly.

::~ 

Zuko ran, flying past the shocked faces of the people. There was a loud crash heard when he left the palace, and he wanted to find out where it was. There was a knawing feeling in his chest, one that he had felt only once before.

When his mother left.

::~ 

Zhao grabbed Katara, thinking that she was still a beginner water bender. And for a while, Katara let him believe that. When his gaurd was down, she punched him in the groin. He doubled over, screaming.

" WENCH!" he said, as he made a blind grab at her. She kicked him away, and summoning water from the air, she water whipped him. He hit the wall. Toph Earth bended pillars to surround them, and then from them came spokes, that created a sort of cage. Katara then coated the cage wit ice, and there were iceicles that jutted out inside, keeping him in place. If he moved, he would get stabbed. Just then, Aang and Zuko burst through the door.

" Hey, are you guys okay?" asked Aang, as he scanned Toph for any injuries. Katara ran and hugged Zuko. Toph told them what had happened, and Zuko's body temperature rose several degrees, Katara noticed.

" Aang, can you take Zhao's bending away?" Katara asked, as she pushed Zuko towards the door. She was sure that if she let him go, he would set the entire place ablaze.

" Sure thing Katara." Aang said, rubbing his hands together.

::~ 

" Tell me what you know." Said Aang, as he stood behind the desk. He was questioning Zhao. Zhao refused to answer.

" I don't know anything." he said, gritting his teeth.

" He's lying." Toph said, from her chair in the opposite side of the room. Zhao glared daggers at her, but she was unaffected. She was blind, after all.

" Answer me!" Aang said, raising his voice. Zhao sighed.

" What's the point? Your going to kill me again anyway." Zhao said, leaning back in his chair. " All I know is that I was dead. Then I woke up. I was told to come here, and grab the waterbender. But I wanted to kill the Fire Lord first. End of story."

" That's not the end of the story!" yelled Toph.

" Would you be quiet!" Zhao yelled. Toph earthbended a pillar to hit Zhao in the nuts.

" I'm sorry, what did you say?" she growled. Zhao's eyes looked like they were going to pop out of his head.

" Answer me, or I'll have Toph do it again." Aang said, narrowing his eyes at Zhao. They needed to get some sort of information, to know what to do next. Zhao rolled his eyes.

" Alright. So when I woke up I saw a man. He wasn't very strong, but his eyes were different. He's not from any of the three nations, that's for sure." Zhao said, resigning. Aang was irritated. Just because he was the last airbender, didn't mean that he wasn't a nation. Or at least didn't belong to one.

" You mean four nations." Aang corrected. Zhao smirked.

" You wish." he said.

::!

" Lemme go, Katara." Zuko said, irritated. Katara had him frozen to the chair he was on. He was tired of thrashing, and moving violently. He tried to melt the ice, but it was strong, and there was _alot._ He growled.

" Just let Aang get through with the interrogation, and then I'll let you go, okay?" she said sweetly. She was sitting in front of him, drinking tea.

His waterbender was beautiful, and strong. But she was also mean, Zuko mused, as he tried again to melt the ice.

He failed, _again._

_::~_

_:D I don't really like this chapter much. So, it might be a bit choppy. Please review!_


	11. Big Heart

::~ _Hi, I'm back! ~::_

Zuko smiled when he saw Katara's face as she slept. After such a rollercoaster day, she needed some rest. He gently pushed a stray lock of brown hair away from her face. She smiled in her sleep, moving closer to him for heat. He held her close to him, putting his chin over the top of her head. He remembered what had happened two days ago, when Sokka had walked into the room and saw him hugging her on his bed, and he well, _assumed._ But after being assured by Toph, Katara and Zuko that they hadn't done anything, Sokka let it go. But that didn't mean Zuko wasn't shoved " by mistake" by Sokka sometimes. They were still in Ba Sing Se, waiting for a trail to happen, in order to find out what they would do with Zhao. There was no more information they could fish from Zhao. He refused to speak, as if someone had communicated with him.

Zuko sighed mentally, making sure he didn't move Katara. She was a light sleeper, and that was mainly his fault. She was most likely the one picking out the tread of Fire Nation soldiers' boots when he had tried to capture Aang. It was amazing that years ago they were enemies, and now they were lovers. Well, not _lovers _lovers, but the general idea was there. The window was open and a blast of cool air entered. Zuko didn't want to get up to close the window, fearing Katara might wake, so he raised his body temperature a few degrees, to warm her up.

::~

Aang silently floated into the living room, setting down ever so slightly on the ground. He couldn't sleep, and he thought that sitting down would help him. It was a miracle he passed Toph's room without getting caught, but he had to be extra careful. She could easily pick out when he was awake, when she wasn't sleeping like a rock. He hoped she was really tired, and wouldn't have the energy to get up and find him. He knew Zuko and Katara were sleeping, and Sokka and Suki were two logs when they slept. It was his girlfriend who could find him. And that scared him more than anything.

" Your _hiding _from me!" Toph said with a hiss. Aang jumped. He turned around, and saw her in her nightie with a sheer robe over her lithe form, standing in the doorway, barefoot, as usual.

" I swear, I'm not!" he said, hoping she wouldn't see through his lie. She did.

" You are too! How many times are you going to forget? _Earthbender!" _she said, annoyed. She crossed her arms over her chest. Aang sighed, running his hands over his head and walking over to her sheepishly.

" I'm sorry Toph, I just didn't want to wake you. I know that with all that's going on it must be pretty stressful, and I wanted you to get some sleep." Of course, in the tone Aang said it, she couldn't stay mad at him for long. She smiled.

" Alright, your forgiven Twinkle Toes." She punched him lightly on the arm, yet it still hurt. Aang immediately had a big grin on his face, and picked her up, swinging her around. " Alright! Hey, since we're both up, why don't we go explore? Ba Sing Se still has alot to offer at night!" he said, making a grand gesture.

Toph debated about it, and as tired as she was, she knew she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep. " Alright. Get dressed and I'll meet you at the garden." Aang smiled and quickly ran into his room, Toph following suit.

::~

" Hey. Hey. HEY! Suki. Sukkkiiiiiii! _Suki!_"

" WHAT?" Suki hissed, giving Sokka an evil glare for waking her. Sokka looked a bit taken aback, but simply dismissed it. After all, he was bored. " I can't sleep." he said simply. Suki rolled her eyes.

" Well now thanks to you, _neither can I._" she said, resisting the urge to punch him. Sokka got out of the bed and started putting on his boots. " Where are you going?" she asked, looking at him with curiousity. He faced away from her, but answered.

" Where are _we_ going. C'mon, get dressed." he said, tossing her some clothes, whether they were his or hers. She pushed them off the bed.

" Nuh uh, No way. I'm tired, I'm going back to sleep." She said, getting under the white sheets and putting her pillow over her head. Sokka went to the opposite side of the bed and pulled the covers off her. She kicked him.

" OW!" Suki looked at him apologetically.

" Ooh, baby I'm sorry. How many times have I told you not to do that? Kicking is a natural reflex for me." she said, apologizing. Sokka held his breath, bearing the pain.

" I guess I forgot about that." he said, clenching his teeth.

::~

" Where are we going?" Toph asked, as Aang held her hand and dragged her through the streets of Ba Sing Se. Aang simply pulled her along.

" You'll see." he said, barely able to contain his excitement. He passed a few buildings before he got to the one he wanted. He led Toph inside, and she gasped.

" What is this place?" she asked, when she felt the stone floor. Perfect for earthbending. She 'looked' up at him, sensing where he was.

" You said you always thought you were a pretty good teacher, weren't you? Congratulations, Toph. This is your new school." Aang said, already loving the smile that crept up on her face.

::~

" Aw, come on Sokka. I'm tired. I want to go back to sleep!" Suki whined. He had dragged her out of the house, despite many threats. Secretly, she didn't mind walking around with him during the night. It seemed sort of romantic. What she didn't like was the fact that it was cold, and he didn't give her enough time to get her jacket. She shivered.

" You cold?" he said, already taking off his coat and handing it to her. She smiled as he put it on her. Sometimes he may be stupid, but he's got a big heart.

::~

_A/N: Aw, I decided to make this one sweet. Tell me what you think of it, in a review!_


	12. Calm Down Sokka!

::~ _Hi guys! Enjoying the story so far? Once again, I have no idea what I'm doing. But I guess it works for me that way!_

_::~_

" A school?" Toph asked, smiling at Aang. Aang nodded, caught himself, and then answered. " Yes." He said. Toph tackled him and brought him down to the floor. Aang gave her a suprised look, and saw that she was beaming, laughing and looking blissfully happy. He had never seen her that happy before. He rolled them over and started to laugh.

_God, I love making her happy. At least she knows that even if her parents don't understand her, she will always have me there for her._

Coming down from their high, Aang and Toph stood, talking animatedly about their big plans for the school. They started to head back, noticing that the first rays of light were spotting the dark sky.

::~ Half and Hour later...

Zuko gazed down at Katara as he saw her groan. He had been up minutes ago, because the sun had just risen. He felt energized and oddly at peace. He just gazed at her as her long lashes fluttered, but didn't part. He knew she was beautiful when she was awake, but when she was sleeping, she looked like a goddess. Her chocolate tresses fell all over her pillow. She twisted a bit, and he held her tighter.

_I'm never letting you go._

He said in his mind. It seemed that she heard him, because he heard her whisper, " Zuko." Now what could she be dreaming about? he asked. He could spend the whole day staring at Katara, but he needed to start training before everyone was up. The GAang was amazing when they were seperate, but they were distracting. Sokka would make stupid jokes, and start poking him at random, until Suki whacked him.

Toph would pick her toes, and that would make Katara start arguing with her, because Katara was a bit motherly, so Zuko would get dragged into the argument for trying to defend Katara, and sometimes Toph, but no matter who he defended, he would either end up getting hit in the nuts by a small earth pillar, or whacked across the face with a water whip.

Then Aang would come, all happy-go-lucky, and Toph would get pissed because he was always in a good mood, which would make Katara start another argument because she doesn't like losing. Zuko would stupidly try and pull Katara away from Toph, but that would only get him water-whipped again. Sokka would laugh, Suki would hit him, and well, it seemed like it never ended.

::~

Zuko walked out to the small court-yard just outside of their small house in Ba Sing Se. He started with some breathing excersises to get himself in sync. Then he started with some easy forms, as warm ups. The flare of the fire he bent made the air around him hotter. Soon he got into firebending, and did harder more difficult forms. He was sweating by the time he heard light clapping from behind him.

" Wow." Katara said, stepping out of the shadows. Zuko looked alarmed, but when he saw that it was her, he became relaxed. Katara walked up to him, and bended some water from a nearby fountain. Zuko took the drink from her, still panting.

" Thanks." He said, his golden eyes watching her. " What are you doing up so early?" he asked, after drinking. Katara smiled.

" Looking at you." she aswered. Zuko fought the urge to blush. She smiled at the fact that she could do that to the Fire Lord. Zuko was not in any way like his father. She was proud of him. " Do you want to spar?" Katara asked, already getting a steady stream of water from the fountain nearby. Zuko nodded and got into fire bending stance. He started the spar by sending a steady flare of fire in Katara's direction. She side-stepped and sent a water whip over at him. He dissipated it with an intense ball of fire.

" Prove that your a Master Waterbender, peasant." Zuko said, egging her on jokingly. Katara smirked, reliving their past.

" My name is Katara!" she yelled, sending a large wave of water over to him to distract him. While he was busy deflecting the water, she froze a puddle at his feet, not allowing him to move. He looked at her in confusion. He increased his body temperature to melt the ice. She ran over to him and started skating on ice she created, getting closer to him. He was barely able to delfect her next attack.

He created a wall of fire and it hit her, stopping her from making ice waves. He ran over to her, fire ready in his hands. When he saw that she didn't move, he snuffed out the fire and kneeled near her.

" Katara?" he said, gently shaking her. _Damn! I need to stop fighting her like she's an enemy! Stupid Zuko, look at what you did! She probably hates you now! _Zuko chastised himself. He saw her eyes flutter delicately.

" Zuko." she whispered softly. He bent closer to her, trying to hear what she said.

" What is it?" he said, anguish in his voice.

" THIS!" Katara said, as she pushed him back and froze his hands behind his back. He simply stared at her in wonder, inable to react quick enough as she straddled him and made sure he couldn't move.

" Wait, wah?" was all he was able to say in the time it took her to tie him up, which was no less than 5 seconds, despite Zuko's buffness. She giggled, and her hair fell over her eyes, brushing his bare chest.

" That's for leaving me in the morning." Katara said, finality in his voice. Zuko groaned, and was about to become angry, but thought better of it. He was going to turn this situation to his advantage.

Katara found her self pushed onto her back. Zuko was one of the few people who were able to move their arms from their back, over to the front by twisting stepping over his arms. (A.N/ _You guys know what I'm talking about_) Once that was accomplished, Katara stared in wonder as flames appeared on his hands and he melted her makeshift handcuffs. She tried to get out from under him, but he kept her in place, using his knees.

He held both her hands up over her head, his fingers locking on her wrists securely. " Geez, Katara. If leaving you in the morning to train means we end up in this position, I'll do it every day." Zuko said, his voice low and alluring. Katara blushed furiously, and Zuko laughed.

Agni, how he loved her.

::~

" WAH ARE YOU DOING TO MY BABY SISTER!" Sokka yelled, as he walked into the courtyard with Suki behind him. Zuko and Katara wrenched apart guiltily. Zuko started to rub the back of his neck nervously.

_Uh oh._ Was all he thought. Zuko was warned in very gruesome ways what would happen to him if Sokka ever found them this way. Katara put her hands on her hips, a defiant look on her face. " Sokka, we weren't doing anything!" she yelled at him. Sokka threw his hands up in exasperation.

" OH, SURE. YOU'RE _NEVER _DOING ANYTHING!" he yelled. Katara rolled her eyes.

" We really weren't! So don't get your tiger-seal underpants in a twist and let it go!" Katara yelled at him. Zuko was trying to stealthily slip away from the two arguing siblings before Sokka got out his boomerang, and Katara started water bending.

" Where ya goin' Sparky?" Toph asked, really loudly. She smirked as Katara's and Sokka's attention was diverted from each other and turned to Zuko. Zuko cursed the earthbender inwardly.

" Are you trying to _escape_?" Katara asked him incredulously. Zuko stopped and turned to her.

" No..." he said sheepishly. Toph smirked even more, if possible. Aang stood behind her, helplessly watching the scene.

" I can tell your lying!" she said in her sing-song voice. Zuko straightened and turned around to face Toph angrily.

" Shut _up_ Toph!" he yelled. Sokka started to wave his arms rapidly.

" Don't tell her to shut up! Your in big trouble, Zuko!" Sokka said. Katara huffed.

" Suki, please." She said, facing her best friend. Sukki nodded.

" On it." She said, as she pressed all of Sokka's pressure points and pretty much stopped Sokka from moving. Sokka fell to the floor in an undignified heap.

" Suk- Suki! Why'dja do that for?" Sokka yelled, unable to look at her because his face was facing the gravel. Suki shrugged.

" Ty Lee's in the Kyoshi Warriors, remember? Sorry hun, but you were getting annoying. And I still haven't forgiven you for waking me up so early." Suki said. Sokka let out a muffled cry.

" Sukiiiiiiii!" he yelled, as everyone went back inside the villa to get break fast. Sokka was left on the floor. Katara waited for Suki to get to the door before she spoke.

" Maybe that will let him simmer down for a bit. We'll get him in an hour." Katara said, walking inside.

From inside the house, Toph said, " I say we leave him there for the whole day!" happily. Murmurs of agreement followed her comment.

::~

_Ya gotta love Toph. I have so much fun writing as her. Who do you have fun writing as? Tell me in a review!_


	13. The Hunt

::~ Hey guys! I'm going to try to update this story again, don't worry!

::~

Once inside, Zuko hauled Katara back outside and they went into town. It was really empty out, and only a few shops were starting to open up. Katara stopped by a flower shop and told Zuko to walk on. She wanted to get a few lavender sticks to put up around the villa. Zuko left her where he knew she'd be safe, so he stealthily slipped into a jewlery store.

The clerk at the desk looked really bored and he started to dust the material. Once he saw Zuko's frame, he was scared, because he thought Zuko was going to steal from him. Zuko sensed this and turned around, giving the clerk a reassuring smile. He was the Fire Lord, afterall.

Zuko walked over to the glass cases that held rings. He moved away from the gold ones, because he knew Katara prefferred silver. After a while, the clerk walked over to him. " Can I help you?" he said, pleasantly. Zuko nodded. The clerk started to examine some rings. " Looking for something to put on that special little lady, aren't you?" he asked, knowingly. Zuko blushed furiously and nodded. The clerk reminded him of his uncle.

Zuko pointed out of the glass window at Katara, who was in the middle of bartering for a few scents. " She's the One. I'm getting it for her, and I want her to be happy." Zuko said, with alot of love in his eyes. The clerk nodded approvingly.

" I'll see if I have something for you. Come on over here." he said, nudging his head to the side and walking to one of the shelves at the end of the store. The clerk brought down a glass tray, that held many rings that glittered.

Zuko looked totally out of place. He was muscular, lean, and so masculine that the little delicate store seemed to make him feel closed in. Everything looked very delicate, as if it would break if he touched it. The clerk was busy rummaging through some trinkets and such, so Zuko left him to his work and started to browse. He checked on Katara, and thankfully she was still looking at flowers.

"Sir, would you like this one?" The clerk said, holding up a ring that had a stone so large it looked like it would tip Katara over. He shook his head. He wanted something that could blend in with any type of clothing she wished to wear, and for it too be simply stunning on her. It seemed as if it would be an impossible task.

_I don't care if I die on this mission, as long as I die knowing Katara would marry me. _Zuko thought all of the sudden. That thought made him renew his search with more vigor. He hoped the ring would convince her to marry him. He knew it was too soon, but he had been thinking about it so meticulously. A glint in a far off corner caught his eye. He waked over to it and picked up a ring. It was a simple silver band, with a sapphire in the middle, and small little rubies around it, forming the water tribe symbol.

" Excuse me, sir. How much for this one?" Zuko asked. The clerk walked over to him, already shaking his head.

" Far too expensive." he said, but Zuko grinned.

" Charge it, and wrap it up. I'm taking it." he said, already envisioning Katara's gleeful face. The clerk looked like he was about to have puppies.

" A-are you sure?" the clerk asked, hesitantly taking the ring and walking over to the ringing station. Zuko nodded, biting the inside of his lip.

::~

" There you are! I've been looking all over for you!" Katara exclaimed, while giving Zuko a fierce hug.

" Where have you been?" she asked, but his response was to bite the inside of his lip sexily and not answer. She put her hands on her hips and pouted in return, knowing that she was wearing him down.

" Aren't you going to tell me?" she asked asking sweetly. Zuko shook his head and didn't speak. Katara narrowed her eyes. _Want me to be the bad cop? Fine, I'll be the bad cop._ she thought, prowling towards Zuko. He gulped.

::~

_Sorry for making you guys wait and giving you such a short chappie. But I promise I'll make it up to you! I have my own computer now! All you have to do is review! I want 10 reviews for you guys to get the next chapter! ;p_


	14. The Scroll

::~ _Gommenasai! I'm so sorry I haven't updated lately! I'll try my best, but I'm working on Switch, still. Anyway, on with the story!_

_AND REMEMBER THAT REVIEWS FUEL MY EGO, SO REVIEW! IF I GET 204 HITS, I EXPECT TO GET 204 REVIEWS! C'MON PEOPLE! YOU'LL GET FASTER UPDATES THAT WAY! K'thanks!_

_::~_

Aang walked into the villa one day, holding a very official looking scroll. " What's that?" Katara asked, as soon as he walked into the kitchen, where she was sitting with Zuko. Zuko raised an eyebrow. " What is it, Aang?" she asked again, when he didn't respond quickly.

His face looked ashen. Zuko stood from his chair and took the scroll from him, as Aang started to explain. " It's a message, from King Kuei. They have a lead on who is 'reviving' all of our infamous enemies." Aang said, as he sat down. Zuko's eyes were expertly skimming the page.

" What does it say?" Katara asked, leaning over Zuko's shoulder. Aang had gone to get a glass of water, because he was feeling a little shaky.

" Exactly what Aang had explained. Kuei thinks he has a lead, and wants us to go check it out. He advises us not to tell anyone." Zuko said, trying hard to not think of Katara's heat all over him.

" Sounds fishy." Katara said, noticing his uncomfort and silently enjoying it. " I'll go pack." She said, already mentally thinking about all the waterskins she needs to repair, that were in bad shape. Zuko held her arm and pulled her back, gently.

" Katara, maybe we shouldn't go." Zuko said, his eyebrows knitting, and his eyes looking troubled. Katara turned her head to the side, and looked at him, confused.

" Why not? Are you worried?" She asked, knowing that her question was completely true. Zuko looked very troubled.

" Katara, you're Southern Water Tribe princess, and future Fire Lady, I hope, so you're an easy target. Hurting you would be hurting both our tribes, and I can't let that happen. King Kuei doesn't normally send a letter, doesn't he?" Katara nodded, agreeing with him.

" He normally leads a procession, and has a great feast, even if it's to say hello." Katara said, moving closer to Zuko and grabbing his hand. She spoke in a softer tone as she said her nest words. " We've braved the world, Zuko. We've gone against so much as teenagers, and we were the ones who saved the world from destruction. Now, we're older and wiser, so who says we can't do it again?" Katara said.

Zuko took a deep breath. He had an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach, but he decided that she was right.

::~

" Are you going to knock anytime soon?" Toph asked, when she felt that Aang was still standing outside her door, and wasn't knocking. " Dude." She said, when she heard him shuffling his feet. He finally knocked.

" Oh, I wonder who that could be?" Toph said sarcastically. She opened the door and let Aang in, noticing that his heart beat had just increased as if he ad bad nes to tell her.

" What's the matter?" she asked, knowing that something was wrong.

" We have a lead, Toph. And I have a feeling we're not gonna make it." He said, worry lacing his tone of voice. Toph sat on the ground and patted the spot next to her. He sat, leaning her head on his shoulder, with his arm around her.

" Toph, I don't know what will happen. I mean, who's powerful enough to bring someone back from the dead? Why would they bring our enemies, and what do they have against us?" He asked. Toph simply sighed.

" Aang, the world is nothing but trouble. But if you have a strong heart and a good will, life is just a little more bearable." She said, snuggling into his side.

Aang sighed. _It really is us against the world,_ he thought.

::~

_Please review!_


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